List finders



Nov. 11, 1958 H. l.. NElLsEN ErAL I 2,859,549.

LIST FINDERS Filed May 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet'l Nov. 11, 1958 H. NElLsEN ETAL v 2,859,549

LIST FINDERS i Filed May 13, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 LIST FINDERS Hildaur L. Neilsen, Metuchen, N. J., and Arnold Neustadter, New York, N. Y.

Application May 13, 1955, Serial No. 508,066

4 Claims. (Cl. 40 104) This invention relates to devices which have become commonly known as list finders.which are in the nature of an assembled stack of usually alphabetically arranged cards carrying thereon data such as, for example, frequently used telephone numbers to which the user may wish to refer, and include manually operable mechanical means enabling the user to open to view any selected one of said cards- The improvement of this invention relates, more particularly, to said mechanical means and constitutes an improvement in certain respects over the list finder disclosed in copending application of Hildaur L. Neilsen, Serial No. 387,971, filed October 23, 1953.

The device disclosed in said copending application is provided with thirteen manually operable keys serving as parts of means for opening the device to any selected one of thirteen cards. For some uses, this number of cards may not afford adequate area for the entry of data thereon. if it were desired substantially to increase such data area, a corresponding increase in the sizes or numbers of cards` would be necessary. An increase in card size and a consequent increase in the size of the device as a whole would render the device objectionably cumbersome. On the other hand, an increase in the number of cards in said previously disclosed structure would require a corresponding increase in the number of operating keys, which latter increase would not be practical because the keys, if each were of the same size, would require enough space to render the device objectionably cumbersome or if the keys were each made smaller to compensate for the increased number thereof, each key would be too small to be individually operated without conict with :adjacent keys.

The principal object of this invention, to increase the ydata volume of the device without suffering the mentioned drawbacks, is accomplished largely by the pro- Avision of operating means including a single card select- :ing and lifting key which is mounted for slidable movement along, and selective coaction with, a series of selecting or lifting tabs formed upon corresponding edges of an increased number of cards.

The foregoing and other objects and the means by which they are achieved are set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein a single illustrative embodiment of this invention is disclosed without, however, limiting the invention to that particular embodiment.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an improved list nder, according to a preferred embodiment of this invention, in its closed condition and partly broken away to show details.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of said list nder.

Fig. 3 is somewhat enlarged front-torear, vertical sectional View, substantially on the irregular line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged front-to-rear, vertical sec- ,tional view, substantially on the irregular line 4 4 of 2,859,549 Patented Nov. 11, 1958 vle 2 Fig. 1, the device, however, being shown in a partially opened condition. l

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, crosssectional view, substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the back part of the device in its opened condition.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, vertical', cross-sectional view, substantially on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.A

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view, substantially on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, sectional view on the line 9 9 of Fig. 1.

The illustrated list finder comprises abase 1t), a cover l2, a cross-rod 14 by means of which the base and cover are pivotally interconnected, plural data cards 16, formed with slots l by which said cards are-pivotally and removably mounted between the base and cover on peripheral beads 20 on modified disks 22, each disk having an aperture therein through which rod 14 extends to hold said disks in placel Torque springs 24, at opposite sides of the device, encircle rod 14 and the ends of said springs coact with the base and cover, in a well understood manner, to continuously urge the lattertoward its open position shown in Fig. 6; and frictional engagement of a pressed-out bump 26, on the front of the cover, with a slightly yieldable cross-member 28 (Fig. 3) serves to hold the cover releasably closed against the force of torque springs 24. it should be understood that, except as otherwise indicated, the parts of this device may advantageously be stamped and formed from sheet metal.

Means for opening the device to any selected card comprise a crosswisely slidable lever or key 30, carried by the base 1t) and having an elevated operating portion'32 at its front end and a lifting portion 34 at its rear end normally disposed at a lower level than lifting or selector tabs 36 formed integrally in different positions on the front edges of the plural cards 16, these tabs being arranged in a series extending parallel to the line of sliding movement of the lever 3) and so positioned on their respective cards that, when such a tab of one card is raised, only that card and those superimposed upon it will be lifted.

At this point it should be noted that, when operating portion 32 of lever 3d is pressed down to its broken-line position of Fig. 4, an intermediate heel portion 38 of said lever pivots upon an underlying metal portion 4@ of the base which serves as a fulcrum, thereby causing lifting portion 34 of the lever to partially lift the tab 36 then overlyin 7 it and raise that tabs related card and all overlying cards and the cover, but only to the extent of the pivotal rise of said lifting portion 34.

The means for selectively opening the device also include a card-holding member in the form of astif wire bail 42 which comprises a card-holding cross-portion 44 having similar, integral, side arms 46 at opposite ends extending substantially in right-angular relationship to the portion 44, said side arms being pivotally connected near their free ends by studs 48 to depending side walls 5t) of cover l2.

The free ends of the side aims 46 are oblique-angularly formed, as indicated at S2 in Fig. 6, and this angular formation coacts with the flat top portion of cover 12 to limit clockwise pivoting of the bail to its card-holding position as shown in said figure, and a torque spring 54 encircling stud 48 is arranged so that its ends coact with side arm 46 and with the cover to continuously urge said bail yieldably toward its said card-holding position. As may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the cross-portion' 44 of the bail, as the device is being closed, rides downwardly on an inclined edge 56 of a tongue 58, struck up from the sheet-metal base, until the bail rests in its non-cardholding position, shown in' Fig. 3, on lifting portion 34 of key 30, and, while the cover is held in its closed position by cross-member 28 coacting with bump 26, the bail is held in its said non-holding position against the force of spring 54.

The cross-member 28 islXed upon the base 10 in such mann'er that it may yield slightly in a forward direction when bump 26 engages it as ,the cover 12 is moved to and from its closed position. To this end, the member 28 is formed with two dependingtongues 60 at each of its ends (only one being shownin Fig. 5), which tongues extend through transverse slots 62 formed in the base 10 and are twisted about9 0 more or less so that said tongues cannot be withdrawn from said slots whilethe crossmember is resiliently yieldable'to said engagement by the bump 26.

As may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the cross-member 28, except at itsv ends, is spaced from the base 10 sufliciently to accommodate sldablyV therebetween an intermediate portion' of the key or lever 30 and, as shown in Fig. 2 and by comparison with Fig. l, this space, marked 64, extends substantially across the device to enable the key 30 to be manually slid transversely so that its lifting portion 34 may underlie any selected one of-the tabs 36 of the several cards. Indicia 66, which are shown as letters of the alphabet, are printed upon the top of crossmember 28 in' such positions thereon and the tabs 36 on the cards are so located that, when a pointer 68 on the key 30 points to any particular letter, the lifting portion 34 of the key will underlie the tab of that card which must be lifted to open the device to the card reserved for listings under said particular letter.

vIt may be observed from Figs. 3 and 4 that the base 10 is formed with a broad, transverse depression 70 to accommodate lifting portion 34 and intermediate portion 38 of the key 3 0, and the shapes of this depression and of said key and the width of space 64 are such that the key cannot accidentally become dislodged from said depression. One or more beads 71 formed integrally on the top of the intermediate portion of the lever 30 also prevent such accidental dislodgment of said lever.

The key or lever -30 may advantageously be formed of relatively hard plastic material, and has means associated therewith assuring that it will stay in any cardselecting position to which it is slid. For this purpose, the base 10, at the depression 79, is formed with a transversely extending series of dimples 72, as shown best in Fig. 5, one dimple for each card-selecting position to which the lever 30 may be slid, and said lever is provided with a follower-button 74 having a shank portion extending downwardly through an aperture 76 in lever 3i?, the bottom of said shank portion being rounded so that it will lit loosely into dimples 72 wherein the button is positively but yieldably seated by a bent, two-arm leaf-spring 78, the upper and lower arms of which, respectively, bear upwardly against the lower edge of a depending, longitudinal flange 80 of the cross-member 28 and downwardly against a cap portion ofthe button 74.

The curvatures of the dimples 72 and the lower en'd of the button 74 are such that manual sliding of the lever 30 may easily be accomplished, the button 74, meanwhile, rising and falling in its movement between' successive dimples; yet the force of the spring 78 is suicient to prevent the lever 3G from accidentally moving from one to another of its selecting positions.

The device also may include means for yieldably compacting the stack of cards, while the device is closed, to present a more uniform row of tabs 36 than would be present if they had become scuffed or distorted in the use of the device and if no tab uniforming means were employed. Uniformity in the row of tabs gives greater assurance against the bail engaging and lifting a card not intended to be lifted. Such compacting means may comprise a compacting element in the form of yieldable or compressible material, such as, for example, a piece of sponge rubber or a spring, which element, as illustrated herein, is a compressing spring 82 of a mildly bent, rectangular piece of flat, spring metal, secured by an eyelet or grommet 84 to the top side of a supporting card 86, additional tothe list or data cards 16.

The card 86 is provided with slots similar to slots 18 of the other cards an'd, by means of such slots, is carried on the beads 20 of disks 22 with the spring 82 facing and contacting cover 12. The shape of spring 82 in its normal or unilexed condition is shown in broken lines in Fig. 9. When' the device is closed, as in Fig. 3, the spring 82 yieldably fiattens to some extent, as shown in full lines in Fig. 9, to press the underlying cards downwardly against base 10, thereby, of course, presenting a uniform series of tabs 36 for eflicient coaction with bail 42 in eifecting accurate opening of the device to the desired letter. The pressure exerted by spring 82 should not be sufficient to force the device open as such opening should occur only in response to pivotal operation of lever 30.

The device is very easily operated. Let it be assumed that the device is closed and that pointer 68 of lever 30 points to letter A because of the device having been opened to that letter in its previous usage. The user now desires to open it to letter N and, therefore, slides lever 30 sidewisely until pointer 68 points to N, after which he presses operating portion 32 downwardly, causing lifting portion 34 of said lever to pivot upwardly.

The upward pivoting of portion 34 of the lever coacts with the tab of the card which overlies N entries to partially lift that card and all overlying cards and the cover and to free the latter from its frictional or latching engagement with cross-member 28. During this partial or initial rising of the cover, the bail 42, in response to its spring S4, commences to move automatically from its non-card-holding position to its card-holding position.

By the time the'cross-portion 44 of the bail reaches the forward edges of the tabs 36, the mentioned partial lifting of certaincards has taken place, so that, as the bail completes its movement to its card-lifting position, it moves into place beneath the tabs of the cards to be lifted and above those not to be lifted. Remembering that spring 24 continuously urges the cover toward its fully open position, it will be seen that the unlatching of the cover by the described operation of lever 30 enables the cover to rise to fully open position, with the cards to be lifted, to open the device to the letter N. The same mode of operation occurs when the lever 30 is slid sidewisely to or from any letter of the alphabet and operated as described.

To close the device, the user merely pushes the cover down to its latched or closed position. As the cover a-pproaches its latched position, the cross-portion 44 of the bail rides downwardly upon inclined edge 56 and is forced thereby from its card-holding position to its non-cardholding position in readiness for further similar operation as described.

It should be clear from the foregoing, that by employing the disclosed, sliding, operating lever arrangement, more cards and greater data entry capacity may be provided than would be practical where multiple operating keys are employed. It will also be seen that the inventions objects are achieved in a very simple manner by a structure `which may be economically produced and which operates easily and very effectively.

lt is reiterated that the disclosed embodiment is illustrative and that the inventive concept may be employed in various other structural arrangements without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

We claim: Y

1. A list nder comprising a base, a cover pivotally movable relatively to said base, a stack of cards, between said base and cover, having separate, serially and marginally arranged tabs, an operating lever slidably associated with said base for sliding movement parallel to the serial disposition o f Vsaid tabs, said lever having an operating portion and a card-lifting portion adapted to underlie the tab of any selected one of said cards to which said lever may be slid and to partially pivot said selected card with any overlying cards and the cover away from said base, and card-holding means associated with said cover, movable automatically into holdin-g engagement with said selected cards tab only subsequent to the selected cards said partial pivotal movement and adapted to constrain said card to pivot further with any cards overlying it and with said cover to a fully open position in which said card is substantially separated from an adjacent nonlifted card in the stack.

2. A list finder comprising a base, a cover pivotally -movable relatively to said base, a stack of cards, between said base and cover, having separate, serially and marginally arranged tabs, an operating lever slidably associated with said base for sliding movement parallel-to the serial disposition of said tabs, said lever having an operating portion and a card-lifting portion adapted to underlie the tab of any selected one of said cards to which said lever may be slid and to partially pivot said selected card with any overlying cards and the cover away from said base, and card-holding means associated `with said cover,

movable automatically into holding engagement with said selected cards tab only subsequent to the selected cards 'said partial pivotal movement and adapted to constrain said card to pivot further with any cards overlying it and with said cover to a fully open position in which said card is substantially separated from an adjacent nonlifted card in the stack, said card-holding means cornprising a bail pivoted to said cover for pivotal movement relatively thereto between a non-card-holding position and a card-holding position in which said bail is adapted to impose such constraint, and means continuously urging said bail yieldably toward its said card-holding position;

the list finder further including a cam surface on said base adapted to coact with said bail, as the cover approaches its closed position, to move the bail to its non-card-holding position and to retain it in the latter position when the device is closed.

3. A list iinder comprising, a base, a cover pivotally mounted thereon, means for normally urging the cover to open position, a latch for holding the cover closed, a housing located adjacent to one edge of the cover, the latch including a projection on said edge of the cover engaging with a part of the housing, a card stack pivoted between the cover and base, a linger slidably mounted under the housing, said linger being pivotal to cause one end thereof to pry the cover upwardly to unlatched condition, and to lift selected cards from the stack and mean-s carried by the cover for swinging the lifted cards upwardly along with the cover upon raising movement of the cover.

4. A list linder comprising, a base, a cover pivoted thereon, a stack of tabbed cards pivotally confined between the cover and base, a sliding iinger pivotally and slidably mounted on the base to bring said linger under any selected card in the stack, spring means for raising the cover, a card lifter carried by the cover and adapted to engage under the card under which the finger is engaged when the linger is pivotally elevated, and latching means for the cover adapted to be disengaged when the finger is pivotally elevated.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,494,167 Faas `lan. 10, 1950 2,541,881 Menning et al Feb. 13, 1951 2,550,598 Pollock Apr. 24, 1951 2,573,534 Bauer Oct. 30, 1951 

